The Other Half of Me
by shadowjadis
Summary: Sequel to Swan Song. Beginning of the new season. Everything seems to stay the same on Wisteria Lane... but the tragic incidents not many know about have taken a toll on Bree. I do not own DH or any characters. No copyright infringement is intended.
1. Is This Our Farewell?

A month had gone by since the tragic incident that had made Bree and Katherine get closer again. That moment was still fresh in the redhead's mind, as though it had been the previous day.

"And I won't let you die"

Bree's lips found their way to Katherine's. It was a soft, tender contact; shy at the beginning, perhaps, but filled with a love and passion Bree hadn't felt for anyone in years.

Still too weak to open her eyes, the auburn-haired beauty brought one of her trembling hands from her chest to her own mouth, caressing it softly. It was hard to believe that Bree's lips had been _there_ seconds before.

"_That_… was it a dream?"

"No, dear. It wasn't"

Katherine winced as she made the effort to take one more, deeper breath.

"Before I die, Bree, I… w-want you to know… that I'll ne-never forget you… I love you"

"You won't die" Bree reassured her "I won't let that happen. I love you too much. Not only in a sisterly way, Katherine"

"H-hold me, please…"

Even if she hadn't asked, Bree would have wrapped her arms around her agonizing friend either way. She didn't mind getting her outfit stained with blood as she felt the other woman's difficult, irregular breaths against her chest, as well as a sharp ache at the back of her eyes. Slowly, Katherine's grip seemed to loosen as her strength abandoned her in Bree's arms. The loud sounds and the powerful lights of an ambulance filled the street, waking up its residents, most of whom were still asleep as the day was breaking…


	2. The Dawning of a New Day

On a place like Wisteria Lane, time seems to go by faster than anywhere else in the world. A single month can bring all sorts of adventures; some stories find a closure, while others start with no warning.

As in traditional tales, the big bad guy finally died. Patrick Logan said goodbye forever in a spectacular shoot-out with the police. However, the problems were not over for the Bolen family. Angie had to stand trial and was eventually sentenced to prison. As a consequence, Nick and Danny decided to move away and leave Fairview for good. Too many painful memories were linked to that house, the only place where they had ever felt at home.

Tom and Lynette were in a more optimistic situation, although they were still far from the rest they had needed for so long. A few weeks after getting rid of their annoying daughter-in-law, Lynette gave birth to her baby girl. In the end, as it was to be expected, Tom managed to get his way regarding the name. Patricia 'Pat' Scavo came to the world on a beautiful May afternoon. Ever since, the couple had been busy changing diapers and preparing bottles, which they didn't think they'd have to do until their first grandchildren were born.

Meanwhile, Mike and Susan had finally managed to overcome their financial problems. The plumber's pride had been an obstacle at the beginning, which had also caused a lot of tension between him and his wife. Nevertheless, with a little help from all their friends, the situation had been solved and their love was strong as ever.

In spite of all the changes, there was one Wisterian for whose life seemed to stay the same. Bree Van De Kamp-Hodge was the only one amongst her friends who had gone through the events with no significant consequences. With Sam out of the picture, her relationship with Andrew had improved considerably. After all, he was her son; they were bound to make up sooner or later, no matter what happened. And without the tension and her company back to normal, her whole existence appeared to be back to the way it used to.

_Appeared_ was the key word. Years and years of pretending had made the red-haired caterer master the art of making people believe what she wanted them to. Perhaps on the outside nothing had changed. Her polite smile still stayed on in every situation. No-one on Earth could have imagined that, on the inside, her whole world was tumbling down.

No matter how much she insisted on fooling herself, things with Orson would never be the same. Since she had taken him back in, she had done the impossible to fix their relationship. In the end, after struggling for months, he had finally forgiven her. However, she didn't love him anymore. She couldn't, although she tried so hard. Especially not when her head was constantly somewhere else.

Bree Van De Kamp-Hodge had lost one of the most important things in her life – a friend. Not any friend, but the best one she ever had. The one who was almost like a sister. And the worst of all was that she knew she would never get her back.

Thoughts about Katherine Mayfair haunted her every waking moment. Even in her dreams, she would often relive the moment when she had held her in her arms and promised her she wouldn't die. She could still hear the deafening noise of the sirens and feel the warm blood on her chest, like it was her own. But most of all, she couldn't get that kiss out of her head. Bree could still sense her friend's trembling body in her arms, the touch of her mouth pressing against hers. It was then when a thousand emotions exploded inside her, as though they had been locked in a faraway place, waiting for centuries to be released. She knew she would never taste those lips again… and that feeling was more painful than anything else.

Such things were running through her head as she stood in the test kitchen. Her hand was on her chin as her elbow rested on the counter. The redhead let out a sigh, casting her eyes over the empty room, which felt ridiculously big. She had no energy whatsoever to start trying new recipes or preparing menus. And her mind wasn't in the right state to concentrate on work.

"Morning" a voice called behind her.


	3. Cold Is Your Silence

"Morning" Bree replied.

Katherine slid her apron over her head, ready for a new day of work. She hardly looked at Bree as she walked past her, almost touching her. The redhead swallowed, keeping her eyes on the menu that rested on the counter.

"By the way, is it ok if I leave a bit earlier for my therapy today?" Katherine asked.

"Sure" her partner nodded.

After two weeks of agony in hospital, Katherine had finally recovered from the stab that almost killed her. The residents of Wisteria Lane gave her a warm welcome, asking her how she was feeling almost every minute and offering to help her in anything she needed. Susan had done some shopping for her. Gabrielle had invited herself over for coffee several times to keep her company and entertain her, even if it was only for a short while. Lynette had cleaned her house so that she could have a rest. Mrs. McCluskey and all the men on the Lane had also paid their little contribution.

Only the very neighbor whose attention she would have wanted most was exactly the one who had done the least. Bree didn't even visit her while she was in hospital. Katherine had already been surprised that she had turned up at her welcome party. On the other hand, the flame-haired caterer had finally given her something she had struggled a lot to get back – her old job. It had been a very awkward moment. Neither of them had mentioned the argument they had had a month before. Bree merely called her and offered her the job, which she accepted. Katherine had even swallowed her pride and refrained from pointing out to her partner in business that she was just re-hiring her because now she had found herself alone after the jewel of her crown, Sam, had left. Apparently, her economic needs and her urge to find a distraction were much stronger.

After giving her some indications of what they were preparing, Bree began working on the sauce. Both women cooked in silence, hardly looking at each other. Whenever one caught the other's glance, she would look away immediately. If they exchanged a word, it was always referred to the food or to plan the event. No friendly conversations.

Bree bit her lip hard, concentrating all her efforts on giving the sauce the desired thickness. It kept her from thinking of how unbearable the situation was. Yes, Katherine's body had survived – but a part of her had left in the ambulance and never come back. Their friendship had died, and the redhead knew that she was the one to blame. She could have made an effort to overcome her fears and shame and visited Katherine in hospital. In the worst case, she could have offered to do some small tasks for her, just like the other neighbors had. Just like one more friend, pretending nothing had changed. Yet she had chosen to do what she did best – running away.

If there was a reason why she hadn't turned up in hospital, it wasn't that she was too busy or that she didn't care about the state of her friend. In fact, there were two reasons. She knew that seeing Katherine in that hospital bed would have broken her heart, and she knew she could never pretend in front of her and would end up breaking down. Besides, the memories of that dark morning were still fresh in her mind. No doubt, it would be just the same for Katherine, and nothing frightened her more than to relive it… especially a very particular moment.

Therefore, they had reached an agreement. Like an unspoken, invisible contract between them, both women had decided to keep their relationship strictly professional. Neither of them had said a word. Katherine never reproached her for not visiting her in hospital or for doing nothing more than small talk with her at her party. Nor did Bree try to justify her actions. However childish it sounded, the two of them had decided that the best and wisest thing to do was to act like perfect strangers. It was easier this way.

Hoping she wouldn't hear her sighing, the auburn-haired lady looked at her co-worker out of the corner of her eye. As her eyes travelled back to the turkey she was boning, the same thought that had been replaying over and over in her head since she had gone back to the business they shared struck her: _This is not working_. For worse or for better, she knew Bree as though she had created her. She was aware that, in extreme situations or altered states of mind, the redhead tended to act out of character. Yet that was only the heat of the moment. Later, after having time to think it through and realizing what she had done, everything would go back to the way it always was. In every little gesture, in her self-conscious body language when they were on their own, whenever she averted her gaze Katherine could feel Bree's shame. And it hurt. It hurt too much. Nevertheless, she had chosen to respect her friend's decision and let go of all the bonds between them, no matter how much she wished for things to be different.

Every now and then, many questions assaulted her mind. Did Bree see her in a different light just because of the recent discovery of her true sexual orientation? Or had it just been the straw that broke the camel's back after all they had been through together? But the question that echoed most often inside her head was – why had Bree kissed her? And whenever she found herself in these thoughts, the answer that occurred to her was always the same. Probably what had made the redhead place her lips on her friend's was the fear of losing her forever. Although she had said that she _loved her in more than a sisterly way_, Katherine was sure that she had read too much into that friendly gesture. In the bottom of her troubled heart, though, she hoped that it had meant much more than that. Yet there was nothing else for her to do; the decision was already made.


End file.
